The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-03-18
"Mrs. john Vernon Number Twor


question, while the sudden ominus
sparkle in her dark eyes warned Miss
Lay that she was venturing too fairy
Don't mind my nonsense, Milly.
You know was never serious in my
life, and ! really couldn't resist the
temptation to tease you Il little this
morning. l am sure | meant no
ofiense. Now. Mildred, please don't
assume that high and M ghty air with
me, IL never did have the least effect.
Well" seeing that Mildred still looked
annoyed. lust attribute my remarks
to jealousy, sheer jealousy. The fact
is" rising and drawing on her gloves
I'VE all envy you. | wore my sweetest
smile for John Vernon in vain for
more than year. and Belle Hunter
gave up the only chance she had to go
abroad, thinking that he would surely
ask her to marry him, but he didn't.
Well, must be going. suppose it is
quite useless to ask you "a come and
see me soon, for now that you've got
home you'll be too utterly happy to
care for the society of your old
friends"
Il shall never be too busy nor too
happy to see my old friends" said
Mildred warmly, though her face still
wore a troubled look. "Tell me, Liz
zie," she added, suddenly, do all my
old friends predict that | shall not be
happy o",.n.om oxo,,,.os Mic. r,>
Didn't / say we were ak full of envy
and jealousy? You are not really vexed
with me, are you, Mllyp You still
count me rs your best friend?"
Until you prove an enemy" saia
Mildred. lightly, not answering the
first question.
Miss Lay was n little vain, little
shallow, and yet not bad at heart, and
when she parted with Mildred that
morning she had not the smallest idea
OF the sting her thoughtless words had
left behind.
Alone, Nj dred asked herself for the
first time in her life how it was posi-
BILE that she had ever tolerated the
young girl. who had just left In her
present state of mind it seemed prepos-
ferrous that she should have entertained
even the slightest feeling of friendship
for such creature. She remembered
with feeling of self-contempt that un-
Til now she had looked upon Lizzie Lay
rs her warmest and trucst friend. ''Yet
why should | worry over the senscless
chatter of silly. frivolous grip she
asked herself, as she went back TO her
pretty room. and taking book, sat
down by the window to read, and the
first thing her eyes fell upon was the
words From John to Helen" written
! in her husbands bold hand on the fly
leaf
"Hcr book she said, feeling q SUI.
den pang of jealous pain for which she
could hardly have accounted, and al
most unanimously she laid the book
aside.
They had been school mates, Mildred
Lawson and Lizzie Lay; had spent their
common vacation together, either at
Mildrcd's home, or in the pretty little
western town where Lzze resided. IL
was at the latter's home that Mildred
had formed the acquaintance of John
Vernon, and after a short courtship
consented to become his wife. II was
a matter of much surprise to nj ldred's
| friends when II became 10 settled fact
that she was to marry Mr.. Vernon.
Knowing her strong aversion to wild
overs. and her rather eccentric notions
upon tho subject of marriage, IL is not
strange that many wondered at her
choice, though it is quite probable that
envy was at the bottom of much of the
gossip. For years mothers had schem-
ed and planned, and daughters had
worn their sweetest smiles, in order TO
captivate John Vernon, but he had
been proof against MI mt he met Mil
dred Lawson. Then those who had
concluded that he would never marry
again were obliged 10 acknowledge
that. however faithful he had seemed
TO be 10 the memory of his dead wife,
he was certainly deeply in love with
Mildred.
Mildred had been wife four months
quite long enough to begin to realize
that marriage meant something more
than beautiful home over which no
shadow would ever fail, and a husband
who would always be blind to her
faults; and perhaps she would have
realized il sooner had il not been that
Immediately after her marriage she had
been hurried into a vortex OF gaiety,
visiting and sightseeing. which left her
no time for reflection. So she had con-
tinued to view life. married life at least.
through rose-colored spectacles. until
NJ IS Lays visit, two days after the
homecoming. Then it seemed that her
ewes were suddenly opened 10 the fact.
that. as John Vernon wife, she would
b. constantly reminded in hundred
different ways, that not only was she
her husbands second choice, but that
she occupied the second place in his